1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a buckle for releasably connecting loose ends of a belt, strap and other elongate fastening devices applied to trousers, skirts, bags and like garment articles.
2. Prior Art
There have been proposed numerous buckles of the character mentioned. Some were easy to use but structurally vulnerable. Design considerations have therefore been directed toward strengthening the buckle body, particularly a release lever portion thereof, which is susceptible to damage by the influence of external stresses.
Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 59-31908 discloses a buckle (FIG. 5) comprising a male member 100 and a female member 101 releasably engageable therewith in a manner well known in the art, the female member 101 having a pair of release levers 102 to be manipulated to resiliently couple and uncouple the male and female members 100 and 101, each of which release lever has a prong 103 projecting longitudinally of the buckle body, and the female member 101 further having on opposite sides thereof a pair of shielding lugs 104 projecting longitudinally toward the release levers 102 and abuttingly engageable with the prongs 103 to restrict excessive outward displacement of the release levers 102 when lateral stresses are applied. This prior art device advantageously protects the release lever 102 against possible damage resulting from lateral stresses tending to pull the levers 102 laterally outwardly. However, since the release levers 102 are exposed outwardly beyond the female member 101, they are vulnerable against external forces exerted in a direction substantially perpendicular to the general plane of the buckle, or from either surface of the buckle.
Another prior buckle device (FIGS. 6 and 7) is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 61-202212 in which a female member 200 has embraced therein a substantial portion of each of a pair of release levers 201, each of which has a downwardly projecting lug 202 lockable in a slot 203 formed in the bottom wall of the female member 200 This arrangement appears to overcome the problem of the release lever associated with external stresses applied in a direction both perpendicular to and parallel with the general plane of the buckle. However, the lugs 202 would be susceptible to deformation in contact with the peripheral walls of the slots 203 or liable to spin out of the slot 203 when the buckle was subjected to increased stresses, eventually leading to failure or damage of the release levers 201. This would be more likely with relatively thin, small-sized buckles.